Heaviest car

The heaviest car recently in production (up to twenty-five were made annually) appears to be the Soviet-built Zil-41047 limousine with a 3.88 m (12.72 ft) wheel-base, weighing 3,335 kg (7,352 lb). A stretched Zil (two to three made annually) was used by former President Mikhail Gorbachev until December 1991. It weighed 6 tonnes (13,000 lb) and used 75 mm. (3 in) armor-plated steel for protection in key areas. The first Zil – then called Zavod Imeni Stalina (ZIS) - was produced 1936 for the Russian dictator Stalin. In 1956 the name was changed to honor the cars' designer, Ivan Likhachov. It is said that Stalin had the side mirrors on his car removed as they were redundant: no-one dared overtake him anyway. Zils of recent years have been powered by 7.695 liter (470 cu. in.) V8 engines, which produce 235kW (315hp.) and can propel the cars to speeds of around 190km./h (120m.p.h.). However they are not the most economical of vehicles, with standard models guzzling petrol at a rate of around 3.5km./litre (10 miles per gallon), and 'stretched' models getting a measly 2.4km./liter (6 miles per gallon). Russian president Vladimir Putin caused a stir when he imported two Zils to the UK for his visit in 2000.